{
  "slug": "alimony-duration-guideline",
  "title": "Alimony Duration Guideline Calculator",
  "heading": "Alimony / Spousal Support Duration Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/alimony-duration-guideline",
  "summary": "Estimate typical spousal support duration and monthly amount using common state formulas.",
  "description": "States that use a formula rather than pure judicial discretion for spousal support typically tie duration to marriage length: a common approach (similar to guidelines used in states like Texas and approximated by many others informally) awards roughly 1 year of support per 3 years of marriage for shorter marriages, with marriages over 20 years often eligible for indefinite or long-term support subject to review. For amount, a widely referenced (though not universal) approximation is 30-35% of the paying spouse's gross income minus 20% of the receiving spouse's gross income, capped so total support doesn't exceed 40-50% of the paying spouse's income. This calculator applies that duration and amount logic to give a starting estimate, but actual awards vary enormously by state, judge discretion, marital standard of living, and whether the state uses guidelines at all versus pure case-by-case judicial discretion.",
  "formula": "Duration ≈ marriage years ÷ 3 (capped/indefinite over 20 years). Monthly amount ≈ 30% payor gross income − 20% recipient gross income, capped at 40% of payor income.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=alimony-duration-guideline",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "marriageYears",
      "label": "Length of marriage",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": "years",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "payorIncome",
      "label": "Paying spouse monthly gross income",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "recipientIncome",
      "label": "Receiving spouse monthly gross income",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2500,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "monthly",
      "label": "Estimated monthly support",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "durationLabel",
      "label": "Estimated duration",
      "format": "raw",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "totalEstimate",
      "label": "Rough lifetime total (est. duration)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Length of marriage: 12 years",
      "Paying spouse monthly gross income: 8000 $",
      "Receiving spouse monthly gross income: 2500 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Estimated monthly support: $1,900",
      "Estimated duration: 4.0 years",
      "Rough lifetime total (est. duration): $91,200"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter length of marriage (years).",
      "Enter paying spouse monthly gross income ($).",
      "Enter receiving spouse monthly gross income ($).",
      "Read your estimated monthly support on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "marriageYears": 7,
        "payorIncome": 4800,
        "recipientIncome": 1500
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "marriageYears": 12,
        "payorIncome": 8000,
        "recipientIncome": 2500
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "marriageYears": 19,
        "payorIncome": 12800,
        "recipientIncome": 4000
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Do all states use a formula for alimony?",
      "a": "No, many states leave duration and amount entirely to judicial discretion based on factors like standard of living, age, health, earning capacity, and contributions to the marriage, without any numeric formula at all. Formula-based approaches are more common for setting a starting negotiation point than a guaranteed court outcome."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why does a 20+ year marriage often mean indefinite support?",
      "a": "Courts recognize that a spouse who was out of the workforce or in a supporting role for two decades or more faces a much steeper path back to self-sufficiency, and many states allow permanent or indefinite support (still modifiable later) specifically for these longer marriages rather than a fixed end date."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does alimony change if the recipient remarries?",
      "a": "In most states, yes, remarriage automatically terminates alimony obligations since the support was tied to the marital relationship, though some states require the recipient to prove cohabitation with a new partner rather than remarriage specifically. Check your state's statute and your specific settlement agreement's terms."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is alimony taxable?",
      "a": "For divorces finalized after December 31, 2018, alimony is no longer tax-deductible for the payor or taxable income for the recipient under federal law, a major change from the pre-2019 rules. Divorces finalized before that date generally still follow the old tax treatment unless the agreement was later modified to adopt the new rules."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/child-support-guideline-range",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/estate-executor-fee",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/citizenship-income-requirement"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Alimony Duration Guideline Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/alimony-duration-guideline)"
}